By now, many are familiar with the tragedy that deeply affected Joe Biden’s adult life
On December 18, 1972, the 30-year-old elected senator was preparing for his transition to power when he learned that his family had been in a horrific car accident at his home in Delaware His wife, Neilia, and baby daughter Amy were killed, while Beau, 3, and Hunter, 2, suffered leg and head injuries
It was an event that nearly derailed a political career as it began to take off, but also shaped the distinct relationship between Joe and his surviving sons, especially the one who inherited the ambition of the government service and a gift to connect with people
As described in his 2008 memoir, Promises to Keep, Joe decided to travel to DC and back to Delaware every day, making sure to be there when his sons wake up and go to bed multiple times. , one or both boys could be found on the seats of the train next to ‘Amtrak Joe’ as he made regular trips to the nation’s capital
The dedication to family life helped them recover from the life-changing loss and forge an unusually close bond. A few years later, after teacher Jill Jacobs became a beloved addition to the group, Beau and Hunter helpfully informed their father that « we think we should marry Jill »
By the time the boys were teenagers at Archmere Academy, Beau was showing signs of following in the footsteps of Elder Biden A natural leader, he was known as « The Sheriff » among his friends and was elected president of the student body
After attending Syracuse Law School, his father’s alma mater, Beau began to chart his own course as a public servant.He spent five years as a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, before winning the election in the Delaware attorney general’s office in 2006 He also joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003, eventually rising to the rank of major
Joe Biden with his son, US Army Captain Beau Biden, at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad on July 4, 2009
Beau has also become an invaluable campaign presence for Elder Biden Shortly before being deployed to Iraq with his unit in 2008, Beau caused a stir at the Democratic National Convention with a speech that highlighted his father’s impressive efforts as a single parent
Four years later, Beau gave another inspiring presentation to the Democratic Convention that concluded with him citing his father as « my hero » and dramatically calling for an acclamation vote to re-nominate him VP
« Beau had a way of giving me courage and calming me down, » Joe wrote in his 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Daddy, noting that his oldest son was usually the last person in the room with him before. important campaign events
« Beau was still grabbing my arm right before I went on stage and pulling me back over to him until I looked him in the eye ‘Daddy Look at me Look at me, daddy Remember, daddy Original base , papa Home base ‘ »
In 2010, however, the Biden family was already heading for another lawsuit Beau suffered a stroke that year, and although he received a clean bill afterward, he began to suffer from aphasia, a condition in which he had difficulty remembering appropriate names
In 2013, the situation worsened when Beau was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive brain cancer.He opted for an experimental treatment and tried to continue his activities as usual, even announcing in the spring 2014 that he planned to run for governor of Delaware in 2016
Behind the scenes, the rest of the family watched with concern as Beau grew weaker In the fall of 2014, Joe wrote in his later memoir, he was shaken when his son said he « would be fine. no matter what, « apparently acknowledging that he was fighting a losing battle, before adding: » You must promise me, daddy, that whatever happens, everything will be fine Give me your word, dad, that everything will be fine Promise me, daddy «
Beau Biden greets his father, Joe Biden, at the Pepsi Center on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention on August 27, 2008, in Denver, Colorado
At the start of 2015, there was great pressure for Joe to announce whether he intended to run for president in 2016 Although not engaging in public, the vice president was already leaning towards the affirmative, her family seeing the effort as something to give them a common goal and hopefully lead them to happier days
But that dream began to crumble as Beau’s condition worsened in April The brief recoveries turned out to be delusions and Beau, 46, took his last breath at Walter Reed Medical Center from Maryland on May 30, 2015
« Handsome measured up as husband, father, son and brother His absolute honor made him a role model for our family, » the heartbroken father said in a statement shortly thereafter. « In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the best man we’ve ever known »
The second great tragedy of his life presented some sort of Catch 22 to Joe, who was too distraught to pursue the Oval Office but also feared betraying his son’s wishes by throwing in the towel It’s only the end October that he officially recognized the futility of undertaking a presidential campaign while still in mourning
In the epilogue to Promise Me, Dad, Biden wrote that he understood that, more than anything else, Beau wanted him to stay in public service
Of course, that engagement got straight back to the election campaign with Joe’s announcement that he was running for president in 2020 and his rise to the top of the Democratic pack.
And while his clash with incumbent Republican President Donald Trump occupied the minds of most voters, Joe shared how much he still thought about his eldest son in the media, including a touching appearance on Morning Joe in january 2020
“Handsome should be the one running for president, not me,” he told host Joe Scarborough “Every morning I wake up Joe, no kidding, and I’m like, ‘ Is he proud of me? ‘ »
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World News – AU – Inside Joe Biden’s unbreakable bond with his beau